Falling in a Forest
by bribble-is-freeble
Summary: In college, Evan, Connor, and Jared are sharing an apartment. When Evan is gone camping, Jared and Connor get a startling text telling them that their boyfriend has been hurt. Basically, the summary isn't so great but I swear the first chapter is good. Evan/Connor/Jared. Fluff and angst galore.


**A/N: Hey, guys! I'm back with a new series because my other fanfic, "A Long Way From Home," was getting a little triggering. For my own health, I've put that one on pause and have started this fic because I miss writing for Evan and Connor. Enjoy!**

Connor flopped down onto the couch with a dramatic flourish. It had been eight whole days since either he or Jared had spoken to Evan. As a result, the Hansen-Kleinman-Murphy household was suffering.

It wasn't like Evan was the _only_ thing keeping their relationship going, but it was a factor. This happened whenever one of them were away for long periods of time. They all had their roles to play, Connor supposed. Evan was the mediator, Connor was protective and (almost too) honest, and Jared made things lighter by joking around. If one of them were missing, it completely fell apart.

Jared and Connor had been snipping at one another for the past four days. They were too alike for their own good. Every time that Connor wanted attention or affection, his boyfriend wanted nothing to do with him. When Connor was torn by self-loathing, Jared would not give the best reassurance. They had been in exactly twenty-three fights since Evan had loaded up his camping gear and left.

It wasn't that Jared was a bad boyfriend, per se, it was just that he wasn't able to fill the role that Evan usually took on. He wasn't exactly used to Connor coming to him needing to be held or comforted. Perhaps if they had been in a monogamous relationship they would have been able to learn how to be what the other needed. As it was, though, the work was split up, delegated. None of them had to fully rely on and give their love to just one person. It was a system that worked well for all of them.

"We get it, you're tired of me and want him back. Suck it up, you're stuck with me for another six days," Jared snapped. He had just stepped into the living room from the kitchen. Judging by the Angry Orchard in his hand, he was having trouble studying.

"I'm not tired of you, but I do miss Evan, okay?" Connor rolled onto his back, taking in the cracks in the ceiling. Instead of getting mad like he wanted to, he made himself concentrate on the thin lines in the plaster. Courtney Barnett had a song about doing just what he was right now. It was called "An Illustration of Loneliness (Sleepless in New York)." He had been obsessed with her for a few months now and was making a habit of listening to music at any time possible. Connor began to sing under his breath.

" _I stay awake at four, staring at the wall..."_

Jared froze a few steps from the hallway. "Are you seriously singing Courtney Barnett right now? Do you know how tired I am of her?"

This seemed to fuel Connor's fire. Sitting up, he fulling belted out as much as the song as Jared could stand to listen to:

 _"Counting all the cracks backwards in my best French._

 _Reminds me of a book I skim-read in a surgery_

 _All about palmistry, I wonder what's in store for me?_

 _I pretend the plaster is the skin on my palms_

 _And the cracks are representative of what is going on._

 _I lose a breath, my love-line's intertwined with death._

 _I'm thinking of you too-"_

Jared shot him a glare, taking a long chug of the apple ale in his hand. "Yeah, your love-line's intertwined with death alright. It's going to be even more intertwined if you don't watch it."

Without waiting for a reply, the other man stalked off to his office.

Connor rolled his eyes and got up. Pocketing his phone, he headed into the kitchen. Sitting was killing him and he had already gotten all of his coursework caught up. Jared might have resented the longer-haired man for not having to work as hard in college right now.

He wasn't trying to slack off, but Connor had had a terrible semester last fall. His mental health had been crashing, _hard_. Evan had convinced him to only take two classes this semester. So far he didn't actually want to die, so that was progress.

The kitchen wasn't too bad, but it was certainly a bit messy. Connor made quick work of it before moving to clean the living room, too. Short of doing something outside, this was all he could think to do. Just to piss off Jared, he put on more Courtney Barnett. If his boyfriend heard, he didn't react.

Nearly an hour and a half later, he flopped back onto the couch. He had scoured the kitchen, living room, and dining room. His next victim, he had decided, would be his studio.

Tying up his hair, he stood and headed towards the tiny room at the back of the hall that was dedicated exclusively to his artwork. However, he was stopped halfway down the hall at the sound of his phone. A quick glance alerted him that it was Evan, which caused his heart rate to spike. His boyfriend wasn't supposed to have signal for another six days. The text went to their group chat. The messages were sent and received rapidly and read as follows:

 _So, I kinda have a funny story. EH_

 _This doesn't sound like the beginning of an actual funny story. CM  
_

 _It's that a book? JK_

 _Guys. EH_

 _No, that's_ It's Kind of A Funny Story _, not "I kinda have a funny story." CM  
_

 _Right, right. This isn't going to be like the time you told me that you were laying on the ground waiting for someone to come help with your broken arm and no one came, right? It'll be an actual funny story, like "I saw a squirrel with a corndog?" JK  
_

 _Jared, that happened to you. It wouldn't be as funny if it happened to him because it already happened to you! CM  
_

 _Guys! EH_

 _That doesn't make sense! It would still be funny-even more funny because where the fuck would a squirrel get a corndog in the middle of a forest? JK  
_

 _Okay, I have to give you that one, Jar. CM_

 _GUYS. EH  
_

 _The first thing we've agreed on in days. JK  
_

 _What, Evan? JK_

 _What's going on? CM_

 _It's a "broken arm" sort of funny. EH  
_

 _Oh my god. JK  
_

 _You weren't trying to do anything bad, right? CM_

 _No, I wasn't even in a tree. EH  
_

 _I was on this ledge over a bank and I slid down and fell into the water and I think I fucked something up. EH  
_

 _That was two days ago. I'm back at my car now, but I can't drive home. EH  
_

 _Why didn't you lead with that? JK_

 _Evan, how bad is it? CM  
_

 _It's kind of bad. EH_

 _We're on our way. Stay. JK_

It was only seconds later when Jared came out of the office, struggling into pants as he walked. "Let's go."

Connor did not argue.


End file.
